Accessible Mobile Instructions
OVERVIEW
Selo is a large UK Manufacturer supplying the construction industry with passive fire protective products, predominately in London.
The products can be technical and complicated to install.
The company has a high call-out rate for site reported issues to do with the install of its products.
ROLE
Product Designer
User Research, Prototyping & Testing, Pitching to Stakeholders
"99% of my call-outs are due to Selo products being installed incorrectly by the contractors"
Jason Jordan (Site Engineer)
Background
Selo began trading in 2008 and found instant success by providing products for the construction industry that were quick and easy to install, as well as being competitively priced.
The products are fire safety products and are therefore highly regulated and tested.
The products MUST be installed exactly as per Selo's instructions to guarantee fire performance and safety. This is achieved via comprehensive instruction manuals.
I was the sole designer on this project. I worked closely with the site engineers who fit Selo products - and see install issues everyday.
I was e given access to the Silk Stream North London Development by St. George, where I was able to see products installed and speak to the teams tasked with installing them.
My brief was to identify the primary root-cause of the issues, and provide solution recommendations.
Understanding the problem
I spent 2 days with St. George PLC at there Silk Stream Hendon construction site.
I worked with, and around site workers, to observe and understand how they installed Selo products.
The goal was to identify why Selo products were not installed correctly.
Insights
High Priority
The biggest issue was a lack of English comprehension among site workers.
The majority of workers were Eastern European and spoke very basic English, and could read even less.
Instruction Manuals, which are all written in English, were either discarded, or used for the images only. Critical written information was completely missed.
Non-UK nationals accounted for 40% (70,000) of the construction of buildings workforce in London.
Based on this information:
"Users need access to interactive, digital instructions in multiple languages. "
Defining the flow
The flowchart shows how the users will discover and interact with the digital instructions
Hi-fidelity prototypes
Scan the QR code on the product sticker, or on the instruction manual included with the product.
Select the desired product from the list - now in the users native language
Follow the steps, 1 per page, with a video walk-through
Step 1 - English
Step 1 - Dubbed in Polish
Testing
Selo Marketing, and Technical team members were asked to test the prototype and feedback on the user flow.
Insight
All users saw a downloadable app as a disadvantage in this circumstance due to the temporary nature of the task.
Therefore, the app pivoted to become a web app that is opened by scanning the QR code on the front of the instructions that only shows you the product you scanned.
Updated flowchart
Delivery
The prototype was presented to the Sales Director Harry and Accounts Director Tristan.
They loved the concept and simple layout.
The prototype was sent out to a key customer, Adam at SE Carpentry for his feedback.
"This is a really great tool for me when something has gone wrong! A lot of my fitters are from Eastern Europe, so being able to show them something in their native language would really cut down on misunderstandings"
Adam Watts - Construction Manager at S. E. C
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